The present invention relates to techniques for displaying position information in a vehicle navigation system. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for displaying the current vehicle position relative to a variety of landmarks such as, for example, the nearest intersection.
Currently available vehicle navigation systems communicate the current vehicle position to users according to a variety of techniques. According to a first technique shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle icon 100 is superimposed on a map grid 102. However, because of its abstract format, and because of screen size and map scale limitations, it is sometimes quite difficult for a user who is unfamiliar with a particular geographic area to synthesize data presented according to this technique. That is, the vehicle icon is typically presented in a scale much larger than that of the map grid while many of the street names are not presented on the map grid to avoid cluttering the display with text. Thus, the user only sees an approximation of the vehicle's position.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, a maneuver icon 200 may be displayed representing a particular type of maneuver (a right turn is shown) along with the names of the street on which the vehicle is proceeding (field 202) and the street at which the upcoming maneuver is to be executed (field 204). Unfortunately, even though this technique presents information in a more concrete form than described above with reference to FIG. 1, more specific position information is desirable in a variety of situations such as when the vehicle is stopped for a roadside emergency. Important information in such a situation might include, for example, the city in which the vehicle is currently located, the cross streets closest to the current vehicle position (both ahead and behind), and the distance to the next cross street. This type of information is particularly useful in emergency situations because the user must quickly determine and supply location information to, for example, vehicle towing services, paramedics, or police dispatch. These emergency response resources typically require an address or the nearest cross street to ensure a quick response. Unfortunately, the above described techniques do not present position information in a way that is readily useful in such situations. The technique of FIG. 1 typically does not provide enough detail, while the technique of FIG. 2 only provides information about an approaching landmark as the vehicle is moving.
It is therefore apparent that there is a need for methods and apparatus in a vehicle navigation system which present vehicle position information to the user in a detailed, concise, and easy-to-understand manner.